Hiya,

it is hard to believe that some of us have a problem with drugs and alcohol worse than we have it. Near the end, before I started recovery, it was horrible. I still could get on-line. Yet, I was moments away from the emergency room each night for a number of months. And, three times, I missed that boundary, and I ended up in the ER. Oops.

In our face to face recovery programs, it is easier to tell when someone is near the edge. My friends in SMART, the Anonymous, and the many other programs really know what to do when someone turns to them. Because they have all received that attention when they came in.

That's what makes us different. We used to not be able to stop. But then, one day, we started doing something different that someone who was like us did. And some of us make it out alive. We don't listen to people who don't use, who don't drink. We listen to us. Those who are now in recovery. It is pretty cool. No matter which program you follow, we made it out alive.

And we can help others just as we were helped.

(As for those other people who do those things, I do not know. All I know is I made it out alive. And I stay focused on keeping my recovery working and sharing this with those who want and need it.)

c